The NAOMI Exhibition Is Coming
An exhibit chronicling the life and career of British supermodel Naomi Campbell is set to grace the halls of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, aptly titled, NAOMI. This marks the museum’s first time curating an exhibition dedicated to a model. Campbell collaborated closely with the show’s curator, Sonnet Stanfill, and the exhibit will feature an impressive collection of over 100 garments, including selections from her personal wardrobe and iconic runway pieces generously loaned by renowned designers and brands like Chanel, Virgil Abloh, Alexander McQueen, and more. Stanfill said, “I think it would be presumptuous for any person to tell another person’s story, let alone one of the most prolific figures in contemporary culture, so we very much want to foreground her perspective and her voice.” The exhibition will also illuminate Campbell’s profound personal relationships within the industry, notably her cherished bond with Azzedine Alaïa, whom she referred to as “papa.” Beyond the runway, the exhibition will shed light on Campbell’s enduring commitment to advancing diversity throughout her career and philanthropic endeavors. The showcase will unveil pivotal milestones, such as her instrumental role in founding the Black Girls Coalition alongside Bethann Hardison and Iman in 1989, where she pushed for diversity on the runway through the Diversity Coalition. Save the date: NAOMI will open its doors on June 22, 2024 until April 6, 2025. [W Magazine]
Prada Is Going to the Moon
NASA has joined forces with Italian luxury fashion house Prada to design space suits for the upcoming 2025 Moon mission. This collaborative effort will see Prada partnering with Axiom Space to spearhead the design of these cutting-edge suits. Professor Jeffrey Hoffman, an astronaut with five NASA missions and four spacewalks under his belt, said, “Prada has considerable experience with various types of composite fabrics and may actually be able to make some real technical contributions to the outer layers of the new space suit.” Artemis and Prada have set their sights on pushing the boundaries of lunar exploration through the integration of “innovative technologies and design.” The eagerly awaited Artemis 3 mission, featuring the groundbreaking Prada-designed suits, will follow Artemis 2, slated for departure late next year or in early 2025. It’s worth noting that Artemis 2 holds historical significance as it will mark the first lunar mission to include a woman, Christina Kock, and a black astronaut, Victor Glover. [BBC]
Alexander McQueen Taps Seán McGirr
After an impressive 26-year tenure, Sarah Burton concluded her role as the creative director at Alexander McQueen with a remarkable final collection. In less than 24 hours, Kering, the parent company of McQueen, unveiled her successor, Seán McGirr. Social media was full of discourse when a meme circulated on 1Granary’s Instagram account, founded by Olya Kuryshchuk, a graduate of Central Saint Martins. This meme drew attention to a notable aspect: Kering, a conglomerate with an exclusively white male leadership at the creative director level across all its fashion houses. The meme ignited discussions about the stark lack of diversity in the upper echelons of the fashion industry. While strides have been made in terms of diversity in model castings on campaigns and runways, the composition of the executive suites tells a different story. [The Standard]
Fendi x Stefano Pilati for “Friends of Fendi”
“Friends of Fendi” next collaboration is with Stefano Pilati. Pilati, renowned for his creative director roles at Yves Saint Laurent and Zegna, has more recently ventured into interior design and working on his brand, Random Identities. The company “Friends of Fendi” stands as a “new way to introduce special projects and collections that differ from Fendi’s main collections and are achieved with outside designers, houses, and organizations.” For this collection, Pilati wanted to celebrate women and focus on the fact that Fendi was founded by five sisters. Pilati said, “I am so touched by this opportunity that Kim, Silvia and Fendi have given me to be so much myself. I am very honest in what I am proposing and I am humbled by what I am doing.” The collection is set to make its debut in Fendi boutiques and online starting on October 26th, complemented by in-store events in major cities, including London, Dubai, New York, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Chengdu, and Hong Kong. [WWD]
Y/Project S/S 24 Is a Denim World Full of Dynamic Twists
For Y/Project’s S/S 24 Collection, Glenn Martens artfully crumpled and contorted denim, drawing inspiration from his hometown of Bruges, Belgium, and its architectural marvels. Read about the rest of the collection with images by Elodie Chapuis here.
See What the Models Are Wearing Off-Duty During Paris S/S 24! Days 6-8
The last days of Paris Fashion Week street style shot by Melodie Jeng are here. Look back at all of our fashion week coverage, only on Models.com.
Model of the Week: Belgian Rookie Celine Vivod Debuted at The Row
Models.com spoke to Celine Vivod about walking at Givenchy, traveling, and stepping outside of her comfort zone. Check out the interview here.
And don’t forget some of this week’s final PFW fashion week content with behind-the-scenes moments with Abby Champion at Chanel, Torishéju, and a Runway Spotlight at Valentino and Alexander McQueen.
